Page 14

“I can't believe I have a future again. That’s the weirdest feeling in the world,” she says with a laugh and I nod.

“If you need anything, you can call any of us and we’ll help you out. Don’t think just because we got you away, our help ends here.”

“I know, Chance,” she whispers, nodding. “Thank you. I think if it wasn’t for you and Nurse Kelly, I might be dead right now.”

“We’re glad to help. Now, what’s the deal with your parents?” I ask, scowling when fear creeps back into her gaze. Her parents were supposed to come down from Maryland to get her four days ago but they got held up.

“Um… about that… Mitch has been calling them and he’s threatened them if they help me. They said they didn’t give a damn, but I don’t want them to get hurt so I asked them to stay there for the time being.”

I nod. “Do you need anything from us?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she says, shrugging. “I don’t really know what to do.”

I nod, scrubbing my jaw as I try to think of the best way to protect her. The problem is once she gets to Maryland, I’m not sure how much we could do to keep her safe.

“Let me talk to Blaze and we’ll figure something out, okay? Like I said, we’re not just going to leave you hanging.”

Relief sweeps over her face. “Thank you, Chance. I don’t want to be a burden to you guys…”

“Hold up, right there, Darlin’,” I interrupt, holding my hand up. “You are not a burden to us. This is what we do, and if you need anything, all you gotta do is call. I mean that. This is a long and ugly process, and you have our support through the whole thing.”

Tears well up in her eyes and I stand, opening my arms for her. She hugs me quickly before taking a step back and wiping her eyes. “I’ll reimburse you guys for all the hotel costs, too.”

“Nah, no need for that.”

She huffs, looking annoyed. “You have to let me find some way to thank you all for everything you’ve done.”

“If you really want to thank us, you can pay it forward and donate money to help someone else.”

Dina sighs again, looking down at the floor before she meets my eyes. “Well, all right, then. I guess if y’all won’t let me do anything else.”

“No.” I laugh, making my way toward the door. “We won’t. Listen, I’ll go talk to Blaze later today, and we will figure out a plan, okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” she says, opening the door, and I offer her a smile before ducking out. “See you later, Chance.”

“Make sure you lock this door behind me,” I tell her, and she nods again. I wait until the door closes and I hear the lock click into place before I head back down to the lobby, eager to get back to the clubhouse and come up with a plan to keep her safe.